Campground Christmas - Process

I'm a big Process Junkie. I like to see the process of making artwork. I don't think I've ever shown any before and after pics of my sketches, mainly because it doesn't occur to me to to scan them at the beginning.

I admire people who can paint on location, really I do. Not my cup of tea though. I'm usually doing good just to get the foundations of the sketch drawn. I lay down a few basic lines, try to remember details, maybe take a few reference photos. Then I come home and add a liberal dose of paint and imagination.

I didn't get a good look at the sketches I had drawn at the campground until I got home. It was *very* dark out there, plus I am getting old and need lots of light to see well these days.

The "before" sketches are just as I drew them on-site. The "after" sketches are after much pondering on how to portray lights in blackness without using masking fluid, and several hours hunkered over a paint palette.

I didn't draw their feet because I couldn't *see* their feet. It was complete inky blackness from the waist down even with the campfire.